MC Magic: Lana Del Rey Goes From Viral Fame to The Great Gatsby

"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" asks Lana Del Rey in the chorus of her latest song, "Young and Beautiful" -- the first single from The Great Gatsby's soundtrack.

Del Rey teamed up with the film's director, cowriter, and co-producer, Baz Luhrmann, to bring us another soulful entree. Listen (and watch) with me after the jump.

Del Rey's heartfelt delivery on the new single draws me in, just as it's done in some of her earlier hits. But it was a long road there for this talented artist, who went from singing in New York clubs to signing with a record company only to see her project shelved.

Her career got back on track when some of the YouTube videos she'd uploaded herself made a huge viral impact; since then, it's looked like it was only the start of an impressive rise to commercial success.

It doesn't hurt that the H&M clothing model is a striking beauty, reminiscent of Julia Roberts in her mid-20s. She's developed a sensual style and delivery on her songs, almost seducing her listeners, and it shows: If you plan to make a negative comment on her latest YouTube video, be prepared for a huge backlash from her ever-so-loyal fans, whose unconditional support is helping her cross over from underground-fabulous to mainstream fame.

It's almost as if her writing style is giving a voice to the views of those defensive adolescent girls. But the first time I heard a Lana Del Rey song was when my 16-year-old son Daniel was in search of inspiring music for his latest skate park edit, which gives me the notion that it's not just young girls taking notice of her sound.

Since she was a teenager herself, Lana Del Rey has been compiling photos and video with her trademark neo-vintage look, which has triggered something of a trend among her fans; she's even been called a style icon.

As for her own style icons, she's a self-proclaimed fan of Jackie Kennedy, whom she portrayed in her video for "National Anthem," with A$AP Rocky co-starring as the president. I highly recommend all her music videos, which fully enhance the music-listening experience.

"Even when I was young," Del Rey said in one interview, "I feel like I've always walked my own path." In another interview she was asked what advice she would give to young fans, to which she said: "Find someone who has the life that you want, and figure out how they got it. Read books, pick your role models wisely, find out what they did, and do it."